Watching Over Manatee ...
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The amazing Marge Vita
has spent a lifetime of giving back
WORDS: Amy Bell
MAIN PICTURE: Whitney Patton
For Marge ita, volunteering is a way of life. She has
worked as a volunteer for as long as she can remember,
and Manatee County has benetted immensely from her
tireless work.
Born and raised in Irvington, New Jersey, Marge studied at The
Berkeley Secretarial School in East Orange, New Jersey. She
graduated from the one-year intensive program that included
courses in shorthand, business correspondence, typewriting,
commercial law, secretarial accounting, economics, principles
of advertising, and business psychology.
After graduating, Marge landed her dream job in 150 at House
Beautiful Magazine, where she worked as an editorial assistant.
She shared an ofce in Manhattan with the editor-in-chief. Her
primary role was to identify the names of the atware used in
photo spreads. “I would walk a few blocks to Tiffany and show
the photo of the table setting to the expert there, and they would
identify each piece for methat job was great fun,” she recalls.
In the early 150s, Marge met her future husband at a Saturday
night dance in New Jersey. She and Bob danced the jitterbug
all night long, and the rest was history.
In October of 1, Marge and Bob were transferred from
Poughkeepsie, New York to Bradenton. “Not only was it a change
for the better, but it also changed my life forever,” she says. “I
have always volunteered in each community we lived, so it was
natural for me to continue.”
And that she did. In fact, Marge has continued to give back
to the Suncoast community for the last four decades. She still
volunteers today.
H Hospital H
Hero
Soon after she moved to Manatee County in 1, Marge
registered to work at Blake Hospital as a volunteer. Over the next
0 years, she continued to take on more and more responsibilities
at the hospital until she ultimately became the Director of
olunteer Services.
During that time, Marge also joined the Suncoast Directors
of olunteer Services, covering Northwest Florida, where she
served as president. She also joined and became president
for the Florida Association of Directors of olunteer Services
FADS. “In all these positions, I developed lifelong friends,”
she adds.
In 18, Marge was awarded the Sally Sitta CEA Award,
which recognizes the Commitment to Excellence in olunteer
Administration. The award was established by FADS in 1
to recognize outstanding volunteer leaders in healthcare.
Renamed in 001 in honor of Sally Sitta, the rst recipient,
the award is presented annually to a FADS member who
exemplies the profession.